Call it what you want, but the state sectional swim trophy the mayor turned over Thursday morning has been the subject of much debate and is the reason Gardner High's sports teams will not be allowed to compete in any postseason tournaments this winter.

“How can the MIAA have all this authority and be so vindictive against kids?” Mr. Hawke asked after returning the trophy to MIAA headquarters in Franklin. “I'll come down here and shine Mr. Neal's shoes and wash his car if it's able to get the kids to compete (in the postseason). This is supposed to be about the kids.”

The swim title Gardner won in February was revoked in October when the team was suspected of violating MIAA rules. At that time, Mr. Hawke said he had no plans to return the trophy and was considering displaying it in his office.

“If they want to come and get the trophy, they will have to pry my cold dead hands from around it,” he said.

The MIAA demanded then that the school return the trophy by Nov. 26, but that was before Gardner appealed the ruling, which was upheld on Nov. 28. After that, Mr. Hawke said he considered the ordeal over and the trophy was forgotten about.

“Shame on Gardner, shame on me for not double-checking on it,” he said. “But never did they say (after we lost the appeal) that if you don't return it by this deadline here's the punishment. They never said anything like that.”

Mr. Hawke did not meet with MIAA officials on Thursday. With journalists looking on, he walked into the agency's offices and handed the trophy to a staff member. He asked for a receipt.

Mr. Neal left the building before the mayor's arrival, but not before telling reporters that Gardner had no chance of having the postseason ban lifted. The efforts by the mayor and Gardner Schools Superintendent Carol Daring were “too little, too late,” he said.

Ms. Daring said Thursday morning that she planned to appeal the MIAA's postseason ban. However, MIAA spokesperson Paul Wetzel said there is no formal appeal process.

Mr. Hawke, in an interview after he turned in the trophy, said the city will not give up its fight. The mayor, who serves as chairman of the School Committee, said he has asked City Solicitor John Flick to pursue the case in the courts.

“If that's what we have to do, then we'll do it,” Hawke said. “I don't care if they sanction me, but why are they sanctioning the kids when they've done nothing wrong? All the winter athletes for this year? I mean, that's absurd.”

Gardner's 2012 sectional swim title was revoked when the MIAA determined that Gardner may have broken the MIAA's “bona fide team” rule by allowing swimmers to skip school practices to attend club events.

The school and its former swim coach, Don Lemieux, have denied wrongdoing. Mr. Lemieux resigned before February's state championship meet, an event Gardner had won 16 times.

Ms. Daring said Thursday that current student-athletes are being unfairly punished.

“Let the kids complete,” she said. “We've made every attempt to move on from this. We want to move on from this.”

The mayor was disappointed he didn't have a chance to talk with Mr. Neal on Thursday.

“That's why he left, because he doesn't want to answer any of these questions,” Mr. Hawke said.

The MIAA's postseason ban affects Gardner's basketball, hockey and indoor track teams. Gardner's co-op boys' hockey team also includes players from Murdock High, while the girls' hockey team includes players from Leominster, Nashoba and St. Bernard's. In fact, there are only three players from Gardner on the girls' team.

Mr. Hawke said the student-athletes are taking the news hard.

“They can't believe that this decision (from 2012) is affecting them,” he said. “It's affecting the hockey team, it's affecting the indoor track, it's affecting the basketball teams — why? The year on (the trophy) is '12, and it's a swimmer.”

Mr. Hawke said Thursday night that he left phone messages and emails for Mr. Neal, Mr. Wetzel and MIAA president Brian McCann, but none was returned.

Mr. Hawke and Ms. Daring said they were unaware Gardner's unreturned trophy would be discussed at Wednesday's MIAA board of directors meeting.

“This is a rogue agency that reports to no one,” Mr. Hawke said. “If you guys want any information, you're not going to get it from the MIAA.”